30-30 Get's no respect!

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Abel

New member
The 30-30 get's no respect from the new generation of whitetail hunters. Whenever you see a newcomer looking for a rifle, its as though he/she has been mentally pre-ingrained with the sage wisdom that a 30-30 bullet will just bounce off of deer. A rookie is more likely to choose a 7 mag than a 30-30. Why is this?

Side Note: :D I was one of these youngsters who chose a 7 Mag! I now hunt with a Remington model 788 308 Win. carbine & a Marlin 336C 35 Remington. My excuse for choosing a 7 Mag at age 14? I was young and dumb!
 
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Uncle Buck

New member
I wonder if the decision to go bigger, or go home, when it comes to choosing a rifle or pistol is just a product of the video game age and Hollydud movie makers?
 
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precision_shooter

New member
1. The 30/30 is not offered in as many brands/styles of rifles as the more popular cartridges like the .308, 7mm, etc. You are pretty much limited to a lever-action rifle unless you buy an older rifle. I think savage used to make a bolt action in 30/30.

2. The parents of kids don't use the 30/30 anymore so why would you expect todays kids to use or like a round that they have either never seen/heard of or used.

3. Youth rifles do not come chambered in 30/30. Therefore, most kids never get the chance to shoot it. Most youth rifles are chambered for .223, .243, 7mm-08, .308 and a few other more popular calibers.

I myself killed my first few deer with a bolt action 30/30 that belonged to my grandfather and now my father. I now shoot a .308 by choice. There was nothing wrong with the 30/30, it killed every deer I shot with only 1 shot. I moved up to the .308 due to the versatility it offers. A lot more knock down power with the same size bullet as the 30/30. Not a whole lot more recoil. Capable of taking larger game than the 30/30.
 
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ojibweindian

New member
I've got a 30-30, 30-06, and a 7mm Rem Mag. All three are great at what they do. When I know that I'm going to be hunting the thick stuff, I reach for the 30-30. The lever action handles better in dense vegetation than any other long gun, as far as I'm concerned, and the cartridge does an admirable job and dropping deer.
 
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Doyle

New member
I used a 30-30 (with Hornady LeverEvolution ammo which gives an extra 50 yds) for several years. Good stuff, BUT it is still a 200-250yds max rifle (and that assumes you can get good groups at that distance which is a BIG assumption).

I gave up on it because one year, I had one and only one chance at a deer and it was 275 yds away. The bullet would have killed the deer at that distance, but very few 30-30 rifles can guarantee 275 yd accuracy with any degree of confidence.

I now use a Remington model 7 in .260. Same weight, same length but now I can do 3" groups at 300 yds.
 
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troy_mclure

New member
i got a 7mm mag cause 1) its what my dad bought, 2) it was more for elk.

i will also get my grandfathers 336 in .35rem, so i dont need no stinkin:p .30-30.
 
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Catfish25p2000

New member
It seems that the guys that talk bad about the 30-30 are the guys that don't have one. They listen to the guys that read the things that other guys that don't have one wrote on other forums. The odds are, if you have one, you know what they can do and love them. Not to mention - its a classic rifle, everyone should have one. I have one and love it!
 
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mapsjanhere

New member
It's a cartridge for lever action guns. Since lever action for hunting went out of style with John Wayne movies, the cartridge went out of style. Chambering a rimmed cartridge in a bolt action is simply sub-optimal, especially if there's plenty of good rimless cartridges around that duplicate the 30/30 ballistically.
 
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gotigers

New member
I have a '63 win mod 94 30-30 and a Rem 7400 30-06. I use both. It depends on what type of environment i will be hunting. Thick woods with shorter ranges, 30-30. Open woods or small fields, 30-06. A 30-30 can easily kill a whitetail. I have killed them at 120 yrds plus with my 30-30. My 30-06 is great for thick woods, but the 30-30 is much lighter. A .308 is another great choice for whitetail around here. If i were to hunt big fields around here i might use a .270, .308, 30-06 bolt. In west TN i have little need for a 7mm mag or equivalent. If i were to hunt mulies or elk, a 7mm mag might be my choice.

I must admit, if i were buying my first deer rifle, it would not be a 30-30 nor the 30-06. It would probably be a .308. It covers all of the local environment and terrain i might hunt.
 
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sonick808

New member
I fell in love with the .30-30 the day i found a mid-seventies production model 94 in very good condition in a local pawn shop for 160 bucks. I bought it because of the lore and history; I didnt' realize how much damn fun it was going to turn out to be. Pretty much every time I go to the range, the first gun I reach for is the 94. Just that much fun I guess. I haven't hunted with it, but I wouldn't hesitate to. Love the cartridge and my model 94 :)
 
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hogdogs

Staff In Memoriam
That's just a taste of what us .35 Remington fans are facing.
Click to expand...
I overheard the following...
Old time hunter: "I am going huntin' this weekend and figger I am gonna tote my old .35."

Young buck: "MAN, Are you NUTS, them little .35 cal pistol rounds ain't for deer! That is unethical!"

OTH: "Sonny what do you know about the fine ol' .35?"

YB: "All I know about them is they are just a tad bigger than a .32acp and I would never even use that for SD."

OTH: "NEVER MIND...":rolleyes:
Brent
 
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hogdogs

Staff In Memoriam
but i would kill for a marlin 336 in 30-30
Click to expand...
Ain't gotta do that! My son found his 1977 336c full walnut in excellent condition with no one drilling for swivels for $175 asking and talked the shop keep down to $175 out the door which was tax and Back Ground fee included...
The guns rarely have been heavily fired and this one still had the gold tone on the front face of the trigger:eek:
Brent
 
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sonick808

New member
hah. I would've liked to have seen that conversation between OTH and young buck that hogdog spoke of :D

one day he'll become wise in that he realizes how little he knows
 
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hogdogs

Staff In Memoriam
Best to shop for them right after deer season. Second best time is right before season as many guys will trade them junk low power rifles in on the latest megamag with all the farkles...
Brent
 
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